Intel wants to launch TV service using set-top box with facial recognition

Intel continues to dominate the chip market for computers, but the company is also attempting to see off its rival ARM in other markets. As well as developing low power chips for use in smartphones and tablets, it has been revealed Intel is attempting to get into the TV media business.

Intel has secretly been developing a new set-top box alongside a subscription TV service that would see it take on the major cable TV services as well as Google and Apple vying for a place under our televisions. The key feature that Intel believes will make its set-top box attractive to everyone is its inclusion of facial recognition technology.

Facial recognition would allow both the gender and the age of the people viewing a TV to be detected at any given moment. In turn, the advertisements shown would be chosen to cater for the audience on a per set basis, meaning ad targeting performance that’s off the scale. Better targeted advertising means higher ad revenue therefore offsetting the cost of licensing the programs people want to watch.

If Intel can get media partners on board, it potentially puts the company in a very strong position going forward. More ad revenue means more content, and therefore a desirable service for consumers. In return Intel gets its tech installed in homes around the U.S. and potentially other countries depending on how successful the venture is.

Consumers may take issue with the fact they are being monitored by the box, but the facial recognition will be limited to detecting just age and gender. The end result may actually be more desirable for viewers as there’s much less chance you’ll view adverts of no interest. It may also limit how many times you see the same advert.